Thursday, 20 February 2014

Maintaining a house is a year-round chore. But how often do we attend to areas of the home that show problems as soon as they come up? After a storm, an earthquake, or with just the passing of time, the areas of concern are normally the roof, the gutters, the exterior and interior painting, faucet leaks, and the occasional change of appliances that have broken down.

In my home, it was something else that needed much attention. I just could not ignore that my kitchen needed work. This was an overdue project which should have probably been done about two years ago. It all started when one of the cabinet doors fell off, got unhinged, and could no longer be put back. The same thing had happened to another set of doors, recently, that left me no choice but to make both closets open-shelf cabinets. It was time for a kitchen make-over!

I am a DIY (do-it-yourself) fan of projects in the house. This is what I did.

I emptied out the contents and cleaned out the grime that had formed.

Removing the contact paper was not so easy, but with the help of a hairdryer, I was able to peel them off.

These are the two sets of over-the counter cabinets that I am converting to open-shelf storage spaces.

Prep time included a little sanding, dusting the walls and shelves, putting protective paper on the counters. With an angled paintbrush and a paint roller, I primed the interior areas of the closets. After the primer coat, I painted, next, with a sateen-finish paint - almond cream, which is a shade lighter than the remaining closet frame and doors.

Here it is! All finished and functional for my needs as a kitchen dweller.

Open-shelf kitchen closets are like showcases. With this in mind, I had to de-clutter and reorganize the things I wanted to get on the shelves, as well as the necessities that had to be readily accessible when I am cooking.

Just like in my previous home-improvement projects, my original plans always end up with additional work. After seeing how fresh-looking the open shelves were, I decided to, also, give the ceiling a coat of pain. But first, with the protective covering already on the counters, I began to tape the edges that needed protection from getting paint on them, covered the major appliances with a plastic tarp, and placed a drop cloth on the floor.

What started out as a two-day project took a week to complete. Unfortunately, there was collateral damage that I had to deal with - paint drips, while I was working on the ceiling went through the drop cloth to stain my slate-tiled kitchen floor. Though, it was easy to clean when discovered right away, and the other spots I had to scour as they had dried. The lesson I learned from this was it is better to use a plastic tarp when protecting any surface from paint stains.

Now that my kitchen looks nice again, I am noticing more parts of the house that need sprucing up. I still have left-over paint and it looks like my front doors will be my next painting job. How a coat of paint can do wonders.

My spring cleaning has come early this year. This means I can get more things done. How about you? A little do-it-yourself project here and there, around the house, at your own pace is quite economical and rewarding. Have fun with your projects around the house!